How the Xbox One and Windows 10 come together (and where they fall apart)

Jared Newman |
Aug. 24, 2015

Microsoft has realized that it can’t ignore PC gaming anymore, but it still has work to do in building a bridge from its game console.

Meanwhile, some of Microsoft has labeled some of its biggest upcoming console releases, such as Crackdown 3, Quantum Break, and Scalebound, as “XBOX ONE EXCLUSIVE.” And with no major third-party publishers talking about cross-buy, you’ll be buying most PC games through Steam for the foreseeable future.

Baby steps

Speaking of Steam, we shouldn’t judge Microsoft too harshly for what it has and hasn’t done yet. By wading back into PC gaming, the company is on some level competing with a juggernaut that claims to have more users than Xbox Live . Steam users are notoriously loyal—most of the time—and Microsoft would likely get nowhere by opening up another full-blown PC game store attacking Valve’s platform head-on.

Instead, Microsoft is flicking at the PC with a few modest initiatives, such as streaming, better peripheral support, easy access to your Xbox Live network, and a handful of true cross-platform games. If Microsoft can win over gamers on those fronts, it’ll have a more meaningful presence on its own operating system than it has in years.